Rudy (1993)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

David Anspaugh

Writer (WGA):

Angelo Pizzo (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

When people say dreams don't come true, tell them about Rudy

Plot:

Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.

Plot Keywords:

College Football | Aspiration | Family Relationships | Father Son Relationship | Teen

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 17

8:00 AM

AMC

Cast

Sean Astin	...	Daniel E. 'Rudy' Ruettiger
Jon Favreau	...	D-Bob
Ned Beatty	...	Daniel Ruettiger
Greta Lind	...	Mary
Scott Benjaminson	...	Frank Ruettiger
Mary Ann Thebus	...	Betty
Charles S. Dutton	...	Fortune
Lili Taylor	...	Sherry
Christopher Reed	...	Pete
Deborah Wittenberg	...	Young Sherry
Christopher Erwin	...	7-Year-Old Mark
Kevin Duda	...	9-Year-Old Bernie
Robert Benirschke	...	11-Year-Old Mark
Luke Massery	...	13-Year-Old Rudy
Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.	...	13-Year-Old Pete

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | USA:PG (certificate #32500) | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Holy Cross College - 54515 State Road 933 N., Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

The first dress list is for the ND vs. Air Force game, an away game played in Colorado Springs, not at home. This game was one of Joe Montana's first great come back games, down 10-30 in the 4th quarter. ND won 31-30. All 49 players dressing for the game received a game ball.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Rudy's helmet at the Georgia Tech game is missing the Riddell logo on the front of it. The other players are not missing the logo.

Quotes:

Steele: I want Rudy to dress in my place Coach. He deserves it.
Dan Devine: [laughs] Don't be ridiculous, Georgia Tech is one of the top offense teams in the country.
[Steele continues to stand and stare at the Devine]
Dan Devine: You are an All-American and our Captain, act like it!
Steele: I believe I am.
[lays his jersy down on Devine's desk and walks out]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: Donkey Punch (#2.19)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Run Through the Jungle

Better that I expected

To be completely honest, I was actually impressed with this film. It is sweet, but there is an honesty and a strong sense of realism at the heart of this film, which to me, provides the base of its appeal. "Rudy", unlike the majority of films about athletes, paints a picture of the real everyman (basically, the jock who isn't a jock) and it does so in a way that is plausible from start to finish. Working hard, eating, breathing and sleeping the game does not mean that you will wind up the star quarterback. Rudy's struggles are genuine: his family is poor and has never sent anyone to college, his grades are sub-par (largely the result of an undiagnosed learning disorder), he can't afford his junior college let alone Notre Dame and Rudy is, at best,only a moderate athlete. It is in the way that he overcomes these obstacles (not to mention the beautiful performance by Sean Astin) which provides the refreshing realism which is at core of this film. "Rudy" is what sports are really all about.